95LS400Bob

I don't blame you for only wanting to pay private party value. I couldn't agree more. When looking to buy that is what I did. I felt Private party value was a darn good offer. But seems like I was the only one for some reason. One lady had a 1994 she wanted $10,900 for. It was very nice and I think 90,000 miles. I offered $1000 over Private value...& she still turned it down. Good that you can do your own work and I am sure you'll like the Lexus cars. We like ours. I just made myself a little promise to inform people buying these cars that even though touted as one of the best cars in the world...they have got weak points that are expensive to fix.

When I had the 95 apart...those bushings were o.k. Since that whole assembly is held in place bthe strut arms, I would think your issue would be lower balljoints.

The cold hard facts are: Any car you trade is brings wholesale book IF it is really immaculate and all the dealer has to do is wash the thing and detail it a little. Anything needing work brings "back of book" which is wholesale book less repairs needed to make it sell for retail. In other words..you give your trade away. How's the dealer get away with that? Simple. People selling cars don't want them anymore and are open to most anything. Knowing that...the dealer is in that Lexus very little. It's all about profit and just a matter of how much profit he wants to make. Wanting to buy a 77,000 mile (and that is a big deal...considered low mileage and people pay a premium for it) for private party value from a dealer is unlikely to happen. If you really want the car...I suggest you come up with a number...the max you will pay and be happy....Write that number and your phone # on a business card, hand it to the dealer and tell him to call you when he wants the money. You may drive it home. One thing is for sure with these Lexus cars. When (and it is when and not if) they need suspension work the costs of having these things worked on is absolute outrageous. If you are the type of person that is not hands on and not willing or unable to make repairs yourself (parts are still wayyyy expensive) then you better be sure any Lexus you look at is in absolute top condition and be willing to pay someone to go over every inch of that car before you buy it. Not that I don't like the 95 we have but seeing what others are spending on repairs here on the boards tells me you can get "upside down" financially with one of these cars real quick.

After a highway cruise last night...we got a check engine light. So went to Autozone and read the code P0 420. Read the diagnostic in the manual and basically it means the 02 sensor before the cat on the left bank is not seeing the same "wave" at the 02 sensor after the cat. So..those of you who are up on this....If I had a bad 02 I figure I would get an additonal code telling me rich/lean whatever. But I only have one code. So, I figured maybe I better look at the cat. So I pulled the exhaust pipes off right at the cats...started and ran the motor. Exhaust felt equal coming out. So no plugged cat or anything. Then I pulled the cat off the left side (takes forever as bolts are frozen...don't do this unless you want to spend the day) and looked through the left side cat...all looks fine..no broken pieces and everything clean. So I reinstalled everything...reset the light. But it will probably come back on again after another cruise. Anybody been through this? I know Bad 02's are possible...but wouldn't I get another code?

We found the clunking in our front end (right side) by just rolling forward in gear at idle and hitting the brakes hard. We noticed the front wheel (in relation to staying centered in the fenderwells) would move forward with a loud "pop". The lower strut arm bushings looked o.k. But when I actually pulled the strut bar out..the bushing had torn inside and that allowed the strut arm to "slide" when loaded and hit the strut bolt support. So see if you see any wheel for or aft movement by watching the wheel while someone hits the brakes hard. This soft Lexus rubber used in bushings and motor mounts also tends to "cover itself up" and look like molded the way it should be...while it is really torn loose. The left side was also bad...but it didn't make noise. But that wheel moved. Strange thing is..the left side bushing was far worse than the right side...but never made the "pop" sound. Remember that the Lexus suspension design counts on the that lower strut bar to keep the entire wheel assembly in place. Lot to ask out of a rubber bushing.

Probably the alignment guy did not center the wheel EXACTLY before adjusting the front end alignment. It doesn't hurt anything but it shows true character for the alignment guy. Most just don't care. You need an old picky front end guy..probably most are retired. Steering wheels are generally installed with a mark matching on the steering shaft. That makes the steering wheel sit straight at the high point of the steering box. Don't move the wheel. That's a half assed fix.

Try to get the Lexus back. Probably 12K will buy it.

I took the Lexus out last night and did some driving around town, different pavements, etc. All I hear in the Lexus is tire noise...no other noises. This Pep Boy's Furura tire that is on the car now must have a fairly stiff sidewall as you feel every little crack in the rode surface. Anything that is really a bump the Lexus suspenison takes care of nicely. So, it's all about tires on this Lexus. The final thing it needs along with a good alignment check. Mounting or balancing the tires is not a problem as I have my own equipment. Did this years ago because most tire shops don't get the balance as good as it can be gotten. I want it dead on and my own equipment allows me to do so. I have also found that a new set of tires when balanced need rebalanced to keep them dead on after about 1000 miles. Each time I do this rebalance, I find the same weight is needed to balance but it needs to be moved on the wheel. This has to be something that naturally moves or settles in the tire. Here is some other experiences I have had. When we got the 93 Cad sedan (used) it had a lot of tire noise. I went to tire rack and read all the raves about the Bridgestone Turanza tires. How they were soooo quiet and smooth riding. So I bought them and put them on. To my dismay, they were no better than what I took off. I was ready for tires anyway so we lived with it. On my 1991 Toyota Pickup...it came with Brdigestone Desert Duelers. I replaced them when time came with another set of Duelers. Seemed fine to me. Next set was bargain set on sale...was a General tire. Rough riding and noisy..noticed right off the bat. Put up with that for 10,000 miles and took them off and threw them away. Put back on the worn but better Duelers. Now the truck is kinda retired..not driven much. So I bought a set of Yokahama low priced tires for it. All I needed was rubber on the ground...didn't care. To my amazement..the Yokahama tires on the Toyota are 10 times better than any tire I ever had for ride and quiet. I am still amazed every time I drive the thing. Wish I had put them on when the truck was new. So, there's a lot to tires and why I am digging. And it is not always about more $ = quieter and softer ride.

Never trade in a good car. Sell it privately. Even Ebay should bring a little more than that. 95 is the newer body style and desireable. A kia? Sorry..couldn't help it. Would not trade my Lexus for 40 Kia's. Remember the motto dealers live by "Never leave a dollar on the table."

Fram is just not a quality filter. Quality advertising...but not filter. Kinda like WD40.

This is the kind of stuff I am looking for. If you go to Tire rack and read tire reviews you find one guy says a certain tire is the smoothest and quietest he has ever seen. The next guys says it's the roughest riding and noisiest he has ever seen! Hard to get a real idea from those reviews. So far the only thing I can get out of those reviews are that everyone seems to be real happy with the new Goodyear Triple tread. But it's a new tire and not that many reviews. Surprisingly the other new tire that's supposed to focus more on quiet and soft ride (Goodyear Assurance Confortread) the reviews aren't that good and only one Lexus owner stated "noisy tire". I'd think a tire that was bought that was quiet on his Honda..would be dead silent on a Lexus by a long shot. LOL.. But there sure are some different opinions in those reviews. Thanks for the help guys. I am still digesting it.

225/60/16's. The stock size. We don't drive that many miles. Wife drove 20,000 in 4 1/2 years with her last car.

Today's oils are all so good it is probably hard to pick a bad on staying with major brands. But the biggest reason engines last as long as they do is due to computer controlled fuel injection. Old cars have washed the cylinders and bearings with excess fuel for years. That's the single most important reason they didn't live long. Today's quickie oil changes have people trained to change their oil often. And if they hopefully put the oil drain plug back in, you're in good shape with most any oil. The oil I use is Chevron 10-40. The reason I use that oil in all of my highway vehicles (except my diesel truck) is because I build engines and have seen many totally abused chevys run that oil and at 150,000 miles there was no measureable wear I could find in the cylidners or crankshaft. The engines were very clean with no sludge. So I went to that oil over 10 years ago. My Toyota has 150,000 miles on it and never been touched as were all of my former vehicles. Mobil 1, amsoil all good oils. I just don't do synthetics because I have never seen a reason to. Be sure to use a quality oil and air filter. The quickie oil change places use the cheapest filters they can. Genuine Toyota filters, Napa,Wix, Baldwin are all good filters. Like siad above...Fram's quality is highly questionable. But like WD40...their marketing is great. Best thing you can do for you Lexus is change the oil yourself. Engine hot. Let it ALL drain. And fill the new filter with oil when you put it on.

That's one I never heard or read anybody suggest. Everything else has been about 50/50 love or hate. LOL. Thanks. Ya know...you just might have found the tire. I cannot find anything bad said in anything I am reading. It is early as it's debut was this year but it looks like the ticket.

I have been researching for quite a while on tires for this 95 Lexus LS400. It currently has some "wondeful" Pep Boys tires on it. I didn't do it..they gotta go. What I want is the worlds smoothest riding and quietest tire possible. I don't care about how long it lasts. I don't care about snow or handling or anything else. The car is supposed to be a dead silent highway cruiser. I have read tire racks surveys. This and other forums. Thought I would come up with a general consensus but not so. So I would like your experience with tires you had. Remember...quiet and soft ride...all I care about. Thanks!

This fix is not for the faint of heart. You have to remove the radio and diasssemble it. My notes say there are 10 lights plus the control knob lights. They are numbered at the bulbs. On the light board you will find printed ciruits: ILM2 = that lights 12,13,14. ILM3 = That lights 915,916. ILM1 = that lights all the control knobs. ILMDS1 = that lights 903, 904,905 ILMDS2 = That lights 907 and 908. You have to run a new power line to those circuits and then scratch (through to the copper) those numbered lines on the board so no power will feed back through the original circuits. Difficult to explain but get it apart on a table...take pictures if you get lost...help you all I can. I should have taken pictures and made diagrams but I was feeling my way along thinking I would find the simgle culprit of why all the lights were out. Instead it was better to just run new leads.

This may not apply but I thought I would throw it out there. Seems the Lexus has had brake squeal from the front since we got it (about a month ago). When I did the suspension work I noticed the rotors looked like they had just been turned and the pads were nice and thick. So I never bothered looking at the brakes. Wife complained about the brake squealing again today, so I removed the pads and had a look. They were installed backwards. By that I mean there is a large chamfer cut in the pads and that is supposed to be installed (looking the pad) downward. It's a relief area. You might want to check your pads to be sure they are installed correctly. The original anti squeal backers were not there but the pads (probably aftermarket) did have a backing pad on them. The pads were also very glazy looking. I sanded the pads down with some sand paper on a flat surface to get a fresh surface again. Then I put some of the anti squeal stuff on the pads and reinstalled them the correct way. Test drive revealed squeal was gone. So far so good. I'll keep you posted. I got the information by downloading all the manuals at http://techinfo.lexus.com/. $10 for a day and you can download the manual info and service bulletins. I have a 91 Toyota pickup also so I had a field day on manuals and info for $10. Was well worth it in my opinion.

There is a guy in your area who has the inside scoop of buying cars the dealers don't want to mess with. About a month ago he had 2 LS400's. He's just off El Camino in Sacto and mainly sells trailers. For a few bucks he may get you into an auction or get you a deal.

95 for 7K will be a tough hunt. Been there done that. Prices seem to jump 95 up. New body style I guess. Anyway, here's what I did. Ebay..only if you can go look at the car. Most newspaper ads are covered at Cars.com Trader On Line Bulk of Ls400's seem to be in Texas, Florida, Phoenix area of Arizona, and LA, San Diego areas. Low mileage (anything below 100,000) move real quick. Happy hunting.

Hope I am not too late. I just realized something. I missed something you said in your first post: "She pumped the brakes until master cylinder was empty and pedal would not return, I put new brake fluid and again bleed little bit. I fill the master cylinder all the way to full." You ran the master cylinder dry. You have air in the master cylinder and the master cylinder must be bleed BEFORE you can get and other air out of the system. I thought you had just opened the bleeder valves to let the pistons go back (which was wrong) and that got some air in the system. Master cylinder bleed kits are inexpensive and sold at auto parts stores. When you replace a master cylinder with a new one...you must bleed the new amster cylinder or it will never get the air out. I doubt you hurt anything...just air in the system. You had brakes when you started and just were replacing rotors. So doubtful something went bad in that meantime.

Try the gravity bleed first. One wheel at a time like I said earlier. If that doesn't work..meaning it just wont flow fluid out and keep draining by gravity...THEN: Close all bleeder fittings. Make sure the master cylinder is full. Go to the right rear wheel. Put the bleeder hose on the fitting and the other end in a bottle of brake fluid (clear container). Don't open the bleeder fitting yet but have a wrench ready to loosen it. Have your wife pump the brake pedal a couple times and hold the pedal down...even if the pedal goes to the floor. She holds that pedal down till you tell her otherwise. Now loosen the bleeder fitting. Fluid/air will flow into the container. When it stops flowing then tighten the bleeder fitting. Now tell your wife to release the brake pedal. Wait about 45 seconds for the system to stabilze. Now have her pump the pedal a couple times...hold the pedal down and you loosen the fitting again. Do this till you see no air..just fluid going into the container. Then do the left rear wheel. Then the right front wheel. Then the left front wheel. One wheel at a time..very important. Keep checking master cylinder and do not let it get low while bleeding. Otherwise you will pump air into the system. That's the old fashion way but it works.

The following works on some cars..some cars it doesn't. But I have found it a sure way to get air out of the system without pedal pumping. We use this method on drag cars. Jack the vehicle up. Make sure the master cylinder is full. Then attach a hose to the brake bleeder fitting at the caliper. Put the other end of the hose in a catch container or some kind. Simply open the bleeded valve quite a ways. It takes a few minutes but it should "gravity bleed". Keep your master cylinder topped up with fluid...watch the fluid coming out and when you think you got a good solid constant stream or you have bleed about as much as a full master cylinder would hold, then close the bleeder valve. Go on to the next wheel and repeat the process. Tis said that you should start at the wheel farthest from the master cylinder but I have done it many ways. When you are done bleeding...then step ONE TIME on the brake pedal. Record that distance the pedal is from the floor (approximately). Now pump the pedal a few times and see if the pedal is the same distance after pumping. If it is..you got all the air out. If the system won't seem to gravity bleed..then you have to do the pedal pump deal.

It is a little confusing. They call the transmission mount the rear motor mount. And they call the front motor mounts.....well, they bolts on the side of the engine so we would just call them motor mounts. On the 95 the motor mounts are the same left and right. Not sure on the earliers but I assume they are also.

Toyota has been trying to get my truck back for nearly 4 years to do the head gasket replacement. I am very picky and don't want anyone working on my vehicles but me....so they are not getting it back. It runs fine and never had a problem of any kind. Sometimes things are better left alone.

Struts ( or really properly called shocks the way lexus uses them) don't always "wear" the way you would think. The shock is a gas filled chamber with % valving. X amount of resistance down and X amount of reboud up. If the valving in the shock has a problem, then you could have a rougher ride than what you did originally. This is why I replaced the front ones on the Lexus. They are cheap. Now here is an example although the application is totally different. My 99 Ford Pickup has a steering stablizer. This "shock" is all it really is.....is designed to be equally hard to compress as it is to extend. A "50/50" shock if you will. But my Ford has been wandering down the road lately. So I decided to investigate the steering and see if I could find a problem. I disconnected the steering column and jacked up the vehicle. Turned the wheels left and right by grabbing the tire. Steering to the right seemed a little harder than steering to the left. So I disconnected the steering stabilzer (shock) and the steering felt equal. I removed the stabilzer and took it to the Ford parts dept where I could compare it with a new one. There were no dents or damage to my stabilzer and no leakage of any kind. Sure enough the new one was equal pressure both ways where mine was really hard to compress but easy to extend. The new stabilizer has made the truck drive like new. So there is more than one way for a shock or strut to fail. If the gas leaks outs then yes...it will float down the road. But if the valving inside has a problem you could end up with a rough ride.